This webinar took place on Monday, April 20, 2020

Panelists:

• Dr. Makungu M. Akinyela, Associate Professor in the Africana Studies Department at Georgia State University

• Theopia Jackson, PhD, President of The Association of Black Psychologists, Inc. 

• Vanessa Jackson, Owner of Healing Circles, Inc.

Overview:

White supremacy may take many forms, including overt racial discrimination, racial micro-aggressions and  anti-immigrant rhetoric. Perceived racial or ethnic discrimination has been linked to poorer mental health. Studies have shown that there is a link between racism and anxiety, stress, and other mental health issues. 

Race-related trauma, including emotional, psychological, physical trauma that manifests as the result of experiencing one or multiple experiences with racial discrimination can have a serious toll on the mental health of those in marginalized communities.

This panel will discuss the detrimental impact that white supremacy has had on the mental health of people of color and marginalized communities in the U.S. The link between racism and mental health will be discussed. We will also discuss coping strategies that may benefit those who experience such racism.

This webinar took place on Monday, May 4, 2020

Panelists:

• Helen Robinson, Associate Director, Public Policy, The Carter Center

• Megan Douglas, J.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine, the Director of Health Policy in the National Center for Primary Care and Associate Director of Policy for the Kennedy-Satcher Center for Mental Health Equity at Morehouse School of Medicine.

• Jewell H. Gooding, Executive Director of Mental Health America of Georgia.

• Dr. Benjamin F. Miller, PsyD, Chief Strategy Officer, Well Being Trust

Overview:

Mental Health Parity laws equate mental health conditions and substance use with the same degree of seriousness as physical illnesses. Traditionally, mental health treatment is often covered at significantly lower levels in health insurance policies than physical illness.  As a result, many people fail to get the care they need.

A 2008 federal law generally prevents group health plans and health insurance issuers who provide benefits for mental health or substance use disorder from imposing less favorable benefits on those ailments than on medical/surgical benefits. According to a 2018 report, 32 states, including Georgia, received a failing grade for their health parity laws. Mental health treatment must be recognized and covered as comprehensively as physical health ailments. We will address the steps that leaders can take to enforce mental health parity and how you can engage in public education efforts to ensure that people know their rights.

This webinar took place on Monday, May May 18, 2020

Panelists:

• Jana Johnson-Davis, At-Large School Board Member of the City Schools of Decatur Board of Education

• KaCey Venning, Programs Manager, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Georgia

• Erika Williams-Walker, LPC, CPM, Behavioral Health Program Manager Fulton County

Overview:

The annual cost of treating mental illness for families and youth is approximately $247 billion. Despite this enormous cost, significant disparities exist in the access to and the quality of mental health services for youth belonging to racial and ethnic marginalized groups.  Notably, between 1991 to 2017, while self-reported suicide attempts for white adolescents fell by 7.5%, self-reported suicide attempts for black youth and teens increased by an alarming 73% during the same period.  Researchers found that the rise in suicides among Black youth is most likely due to a greater internalization of racial issues, a decline in coping mechanisms and lack of access to psychiatric resources. This panel will discuss the disparity in treating mental illness in youth of marginalized communities.

This webinar took place on Monday, June 1, 2020

Panelists:

• Tamar Ezer, Associate Director and a Lecturer in Law with the Human Rights Clinic at the University of Miami School of Law. 

• Jennifer Swain, Executive Director, youthSpark, Inc.

• Kisha B. Holden, PhD, MSCR, Poussaint-Satcher Endowed Chair in Mental Health and Director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM)

• Darlene C. Lynch, Head of External Relations for The Center for Victims of Torture-Atlanta

• Dr. Sharnell Myles, Psy.D., LPC, Founder and Executive Director, JoyUs Beginnings Child & Family Wellness Center and The Trauma Resource Institute, LLC

• Dabney P. Evans, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor of Global Health in the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University

Overview:

Traumatic experiences are often implicated in behavioral health disorders. Trauma occurs within personal, social and other contextual aspects of a person and their intersecting identities. Trauma and violence (including structural violence and inter- and intra-personal violence) have detrimental effects on humans’ mental and physical health. Panic attacks, post traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, depression and anxiety often arise from domestic violence and other identity-based abuse. Coping with emotional and psychological traumas becomes burdensome for survivors and mental health issues often are ignored or go untreated.

This webinar took place on June 15, 2020

Panelists:

• Angelica Geter Fugerson, DrPH, MPH, Chief Health Officer, City of Atlanta, Office of Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms

• Lynnette Allen, Health Educator, Fulton County

• Dr. William L. Jeffries IV, Associate Chief for Science, Capacity Building Branch, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

Overview:

The National Institute of Mental Health reports that people living with HIV are at an increased risk for experiencing mood, anxiety and cognitive disorders. They are also twice as likely to suffer from depression than those who are not infected. In addition, stresses caused by difficulties getting necessary services, a loss of social support and relationships, a loss of employment, isolation and changes in one’s physical appearance and bodily abilities can exacerbate mental health issues. This panel will discuss these and other issues affecting this community.

This webinar took place on June 29, 2020

Panelists:

• KaCey Venning, Programs Manager, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Georgia

• Afrika Cotton, LMSW, AMCF Senior Victim Advocate, Counselor Fulton County District Attorney Office

Overview:

Homelessness is a traumatic event that can exacerbate existing mental illness. This panel will discuss Georgia’s approach to this issue, as well as national policies being implemented.